Lynchburg Salvation Army center surpasses money target

By Alicia Petska, Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: February 5, 2008

A Salvation Army project that will improve service to the area’s homeless has surpassed its fundraising goal, officials announced Monday.

“We’re just walking on Cloud Nine over here, without a doubt,” said Chesley Vohden, the organization’s director of development.

For the past year and a half, the Salvation Army has been working to raise $5 million in order to build the Center of Hope, a new facility that will house the nonprofit’s major outreach programs, including its homeless shelter and soup kitchen.

It has now exceeded that goal, paving the way for the center to start construction before summer rolls around.

The new facility, set to go up next door to the Salvation Army headquarters on Park Avenue, is expected to open in 2009.

“We are so grateful to the many generous people that made it happen,” Maj. David Cope, the local Salvation Army commander, said of the milestone in a news release.

Once complete, the Center of Hope will house the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter, soup kitchen, transitional housing program and family services office. The 20,000-square-foot building will allow officials to double the number of shelter beds to 60, as well as increase seating capacity at the soup kitchen. A new amenity will be the creation of shelter “suites” that will allow homeless families to stay together.

Vohden said the change would allow Salvation Army clients to get more efficient service by “streamlining” the program’s layout.